Say Something
by Xpages-written-in-the-starsX
Summary: After witnessing the brutal murder of her parents at a young age, Nina stopped speaking. Now Eighteen, she hasn't said one word. After her foster mother moves them to Beacon Hills, the town her parents' murder took place, the flashbacks are getting more horrific. Until she meets Derek Hale, who seems to make the grief easier. And Isaac Lahey, who's own voice left for a while. D/N/I
1. I'm Nobody

I'm nobody! Who are you?

Are you nobody, too?

Then there's a pair of us -don't tell!

They'd banish us, you know.

-Emily Dickenson, _I am Nobody._

* * *

In eighteen years of life, Nina hadn't said one word. She sat, her icy eyes surveying her area carefully. Inspecting the things and people around her. The girl learned to read people's emotions, their lies, easily. She was beautiful, with long platinum hair that reached the hem of her jeans, her dark blue gold-flecked eyes that looked a thousand years old and intelligent. But, mute. Unattainable.

Her fingers drum idly on her thigh as she sits across from the principal, one leg crossed over the other as the other hand played with a loose curl she'd been forced to sit and wait through. _Look as beautiful on the outside as you are on the inside, Nina_. That's what the woman said. The Woman who took care of her all these years.

"Nina Castellan, is that right?" Principal Gilbert asked, sitting down in his rolling chair and facing her, offering a hand to shake. In response, the pretty blonde nodded her head, pulling her hand free and wrapping both slim arms around herself.

"Your Aunt told me you've never spoken. After what you witnessed, I understand, and I've let your teachers know. Is there any specific way you communicate? Maybe Sign Language?"

Nina shook her head. _No. I don't speak, you idiot. I'm not slow. Or deaf._

"I've assigned one of our students, in all of your classes, to help you if you need anything. Alright? It was wonderful to meet you, Nina, and I hope you like it at Beacon Hills."

_Doubt it._

He set a hand gently between her shoulders as he led her into a small hallway where a boy stood waiting with a boyish grin. Olive-toned skin, dark brown eyes with thick black lashes, a mess of nearly black brown thick hair. White tee shirt, olive green bomber jacket, jeans, and boots.

"Scott McCall, this is Nina Castellan. Nina, this is Scott McCall. He'll be helping you out for the year."

Nina simply nodded her head, shifting the strap higher up her shoulder in discomfort—Principal Gilbert was a little too friendly.

_Maybe I should've thought twice before I wore this today._ Her eyes moved down to her flat stomach, the sliver of skin bared in the Swing Vest she'd chosen to wear. Teal and flowy, showing her collarbones.

"Isaac is going to have a heart attack when he sees you. I'm sorry you had to sit through one of those "new kid interviews." Especially when it's a one-sided conversation." Scott murmured with another grin. She let a small smile lift the corners of her mouth, offering her hand to shake and nodding her head slightly in introduction. When the boy took her hand in his, lacing their fingers, she relaxed slightly. He walked alongside her until they found the classroom.

"This is Econ, with Coach Finstock. He's extreme, to say the least." He warned her, opening the door for her.

"You'd better have a good reason for walking in late, McCall." The man cut himself off as he noticed the pale, blonde girl, "Oh. You must be the new girl."

Again, she shrugged.

Every male in the room traced her lithe body almost hungrily. Scott suddenly had the urge to hand her his jacket, to keep her covered up. This was disgusting! Something was off about Nina. She wasn't human, but she wasn't supernatural. It was like she was dancing on the border of both.

"You can sit next to me." He offered, sliding into his seat behind Stiles. Nina sat uncomfortably in her chair, her chin rested in her palm, elbow on the desk. Flashbacks ran through her mind in small bursts—her mother's hair fanned out and coated in her own blood. Her own screaming as she struggled against the one holding her against his chest, keeping her from lunging into the fight. Her father's face being slashed open directly in front of her. Glowing firefly eyes that made her blood run cold. Then dropping to her knees, the heels of her hands pressed into her eyesockets as the man dragged her from the building.

"Nina?" Scott was shaking her out of it, hands wrapped around the back of her arms. She's literally zoned through the entire class, caught up in her own nightmares. "Are you alright?"

_No._

"Look, I'm not going to try to make you talk. That wouldn't be fair. But, if you ever just need someone to sit with you, I'll do it. You come find me, and I'll help you."

She lifted her notebook, and scrawled quickly in teal Sharpie and then lifted it to his eye-level.

_Why?_

"Because I think you need someone." He replied with a small smile as he helped her onto her feet, brushing her hair back over her shoulder. Nodding, the blonde leaned into his side and allowed him to sling an arm around her shoulders.

Scott watched her from the corner of his eye, finding her wringing her hands and staring at a space on the wall, lost in whatever haunted her. This girl was fragile. Someone had broken her a long, long time ago, and had yet to fix her. Maybe her voice had been scared away. She was at the table beside him in Bio, and he reached up to cover her hands with his own to still her motion. Nina blinked those beautiful blue eyes rapidly as her head snapped in his direction. A small smile lifted the corners of her bubble gum mouth, full and pink. Real girls weren't this beautiful.

A strawberry blonde girl turned in her seat to face them and glanced down at the teenagers' hands with disapproving emerald eyes.

"Who's this?"

"Her name's Nina. Nina Castellan." He answered for her, "She doesn't talk, Lydia."

"Well, _Nina, _I like your shirt. You'll have to take me with you when you go shopping again." She winked, and the girl shied away in embarrassment. And then her shirt rode up in the back and Scott smirked.

A tattoo sat on her right hipbone; a black symbol he'd seen hundreds of times.

It's when they sat down at lunch that he realized it.

It was a triskele.


	2. Remember, Remember the death in November

It took a moment for Scott to register this new information. Nina had the same tattoo as _Derek_. Why? He wanted to bombard her with questions about it. But, no. That would only send her running for the hills. Allison and Lydia were easily the prettiest girls in Beacon Hills. Until Nina, who looked unearthly with the slight glow that stands out on her smooth, white skin.

And Allison was enjoying the new company…until she noticed the way Isaac was looking at her. His blue eyes were intense as they moved slowly down as much of her body was visible. Nina stared down at her hands at the glare the Argent shot her, swallowing heavily before she stood up and shifted her bag back onto her shoulder. Her curls bounced, her hips swayed, as she disappeared back into the building.

She was _not_ going to put up with anyone's shit. Her chest suddenly tightened and her back slammed against the wall as she slid down, gasping as a flashback pulled her in.

* * *

_She screamed at the top of her lungs before a large hand covered her mouth as he restrained her._

"_Ssh! If you don't stop, they're going to kill you too!" He hissed. She nodded, turning around to look at her captor. A pale, rail-thin boy with a mess of dark hair that fell across his forehead, pale blue eyes. A red shirt rolled up to the elbows. His eyes—they were __**glowing**__._

"_I'm a friend, Little Nina. I won't hurt you. I'm trying to help you." He added, bending down to her level. She nodded, and then her whole little body went stiff._

_Her mother's screaming had stopped._

* * *

Her heart pounded as she shook off the daunting images. Why was this happening? Her palms were shaking. A weight settled onto her chest, her breath shortening and coming out in broken, small gasps. It hurt. And she couldn't get enough air into her lungs. The blonde buried her head between her knees, hoping it might help. It wasn't.

"Nina," A male voice said her name gently. Knees came into view, clad in jeans. It could be anyone that said at that table.

"Nina, look at me." It urged again. Her head lifted and met another set of blue eyes. _What was his name?_

"Okay. You have to breathe." His large hand lifted and rested at the curve where her neck met her shoulder, his thumb pressing against her jaw as he kept her looking at him. Her heartbeat stuttered and her breathing stopped entirely for a long moment. And then, she was able to relax. The elephant sitting on her chest disappeared and her eyes went wide.

"Lydia told me if you're having a panic attack, it stops when you hold your breath. So…when I touched you, you held your breath." A grin spread across his face after he finished speaking.

_Have you seen yourself? You'd stop breathing too._ She wanted to say. All she did was reach up and tuck her hair behind her ear. The brunette boy offered his large hand to her, to help her stand. When her long fingers brushed his palm, a shiver ran up his spine. Nina was _warm_. Like, a lightbulb-just-barely-turned-off, warm.

"You're really hot," He said, without thinking as he rested the back of his palm against her forehead. She quirked an eyebrow at him, biting her bottom lip to keep from giggling. His eyes widened, "Oh, God. I didn't mean it like that! I-I mean, you _are_ hot, but I was talking about your temperature. S-" Nina pressed her fingers against his soft lips to stop the babbling. Both her eyebrows raised.

_Stop talking_. He could almost see the words cross her expression. He nodded slowly.

"Sorry," He shrugged his shoulders slightly, "I'm Isaac."

She smiled, wide enough for him to see her little pearls of white teeth. Damn! All of her was fucking perfect. Well, all of her you could see, anyways. He didn't have one doubt, however, that the rest of her matched. He raised her hand up to his mouth and kissed the back like a cheesy old movie. A giggle ripped through her lips before she could stop it and immediately, she clapped a palm over her mouth in horror.

He chuckled, pulling her hand gently away from her mouth.

"Don't cover that up. You have a beautiful laugh." Isaac whispered, "It's odd to hear your own voice, even if it's just a laugh, I know."

_What?_

"Long story." He answers the unasked question, taking both her hands in his, interlacing their fingers. Nina willingly held his hands and the brunette boy drew them to his chest. His heart rested right under her palm.

"Your touch affects me, too." Isaac murmured in her ear. The beat of his heart changed under her palm, quickening, before he stepped back, and walked back out into the area they'd been sitting at earlier. Nina blinked for a few minutes, then her brows drew together as she scowled. Then, she understood why he'd say that. Since she _held her breath_ when he set his hand on her neck, and now he was just going to try to get into her pants.

Like half the boys at her old school.

Jogging to the next classroom she'd be in next, she took refuge and slipped into a chair beside another girl, who'd been playing with a thin yellow Nokia Smartphone.

"You're Nina, right?" The girl asked, turning her dark eyes to the blonde, "I'm Kira. I'm new here, too."

When Nina looked up at the girl, she flinched. Golden light danced around her body, in the shape of a fox. She'd only seen this one time, when her and Sarah lived in Asia for a year. It was a skulk of Kitsune, protected by the townspeople. Sarah, her foster mother and aunt, was similar to a Wolf Pack's Emissary. Called an envoy. The skulk needed one, and they shipped off to help them. In recognition, she looked up at the man at the front of the room, Kira's father.

"You must be Sarah's niece," He smiled, taking one hand between both of his and grinning warmly, "My wife used to talk about you all the time. We even lived in the home your Aunt worked in."

She smiled, waiting for an explanation.

"Yukimura. That was her last name."

When Nina thought back to it, she remembered this couple. With a cub. A little, thin girl, with two ponytails, and wide black eyes. Kira. She remembered them completely. In detail. While the Kitsune cubs were playing and wrestling, this girl sat beside her and colored. Both of them never said a word to each-other.

The bell rang before he could say more, and she moved back into the desk beside Kira. In her quick scrawl, she wrote out a note and tossed it onto the Kitsune's desk.

_It's nice to meet you, Kira._

* * *

"Where is she? Where is the She-Wolf?" The woman snarled, face closer to Derek's than Peter's. Peter's eyes flickered with recognition. The She-Wolf. The little girl he'd saved from the Hunters fifteen years ago. Nina. Her parents named her Nina because it means girl in Spanish.

"We don't _know_ any She-Wolf!" Derek snapped. And truthfully, he didn't know her. He'd only heard stories of the little girl who's blood could turn Betas into Immortal Alphas. No-one had been able to find her, because there were four people on earth that knew her secret and two were dead, one was with her, and the other hung from the bars beside Derek.

"You may not, but he does. Peter Hale, the only one of your kind who saw the girl." She turned her ancient eyes to the beta, reached up, and cut off his finger without hesitation, "The next time I come back, perhaps the two of you might remember her,"

* * *

Nina laid in bed, her sheets sticking to her skin; dripping wet with her sweat. A whimper came from her lips and she rolled over onto her stomach. Back onto her side. Her nightmares weren't visible, even to her. It was just feelings, all colliding at once. They weren't her own. A sharp pain went through her hand and she shot up in bed like a rocket, cradling her right hand to her chest. Every once in a while, she _swore_ she could feel her protector from that night. From the blood he fed her to keep her alive when the bullet entered her small chest. Left a gaping hole, until he gave her blood: it made her heal like one of the wolves.

"Nina, you're alright," Sarah slipped to sit in front of her, tugging the She-Wolf's head into her shoulder and stroked the soft sheet of her blonde hair. Nina wants to scream at the top of her lungs: no words, just to let the sound out of her. The woman hands her a sheet of paper, to say what she wants. She writes.

_He's hurt again_.

Her aunt nods, kissing the top of her head and pads back to her bedroom to make a call. To her brother, whom she'd spoken to twice since Talia died.

Her older brother, Deucalion. Nina's uncle.


	3. Hale

Braeden turns her head to the two wolves, a smile spreading across her pretty, scarred face.

"You're the girl who saved Isaac." Derek murmured, his hazel eyes following the clawmarks on her cheek, "What are you doing here?"

She reached up to unchain him before answering.

"I was hired to rescue you." She replies, tossing him clothes to change into.

"Who would hire you to rescue us?" Peter asked, amusedly.

"_Him._" The dark-skinned girl corrects, "I was hired to rescue Derek. You? I have no problem leaving behind. Deucalion hired me, for a woman named Sarah."

"Sarah sent you. To save _Derek_ and not _me_." Peter scoffs, turning to look at his nephew, "First, they don't want to hear me sing, and now I find out Sarah Bateman would leave me in this condition. Shameful."

"Shut up." Both Derek and Braeden chorused together.

"She gave me a message for you, though, Peter. _La Loba_ is starting to remember."

"Oh, shit." was the eldest living Hale's response.

* * *

The next few days, Nina finds herself seated beside Kira at lunch, in the classroom once again. This time, they sit and watch a movie on the Kitsune's phone. Were she being honest with herself, the She-Wolf would admit she's avoiding Isaac. After she decided he was only trying to get in her panties.

"Do you want to come over after school? There's something I want to show you." Kira asks, with a shy smile Nina's learned is always how she smiles. Nina turns in her seat and shoots a text to Sarah—asking permission through texting.

Of course you can go to the Yukimira's house. You're safe there.

She turned the screen to her only friend and grinned.

"Hey, Nina." Scott whispers as he sits in front of her, "Hi, Kira."

"Hi," Kira squeaks, heart pounding. Nina doesn't react, at all. He lowers his head to meet her eyes, studying them. Is she pissed at him?

"Did I do something wrong? You've been hiding all week."

She sighs, but writes down a simple explanation. Partly a lie, yes. But, an explanation.

_I don't think your friends like me very much. They think I'm a freak._

"Who? Lydia and Isaac have been asking about you."

_The brunette._

"Allison? Why would you think that?"

_She thinks I'm trying to steal that Isaac kid from her. Oh, and not to mention she's one of the Argents and they can't be trusted._

Scott stared at the last sentence in shock. He _had_ to know what she was, now, if she hated the Argents. What if she was another one of the Hales, like Cora? If that was the case he needed to call Derek and let him know. When class ended, he caught her by the elbow in the hallway and dragged her into a janitor's closet, to talk to her.

"What. Are. You?" He hisses through his teeth.

She sighed, ripping her arm free and glancing down at her shoes. He reached under her chin and forced her to look at him—at glowing red eyes. _He's a wolf_. Her fingers ghosted over his mouth, where the fangs sat, his jawline, and then beneath his eyes.

"Okay. How about this? I'll ask you yes or no questions, and you nod or shake your head." When she agreed, he continued, "Are you a werewolf?"

_No._

"Shape-shifter of any kind?"

_No._

"Are you human?"

_No._

Instead of sitting through more questions, she takes his hand and guides it to the back of her neck, lining his claws up. His eyes go wide as she pushes them deeply into her skin. Sharing memories with him. Their eyes both closed as she showed him the conversation in which Sarah told her everything about what she was and why her parents died to keep her away from the hunters.

"_They call you the She-Wolf. Because, when you learn how to use your abilities, your eyes glow the same way. The mix of your parents' blood created you; a hybrid. The Wolf that drank your blood became an Alpha. He can never die completely. He'll always come back; immortal. So, I had to take you away." Sarah whispered, "There's also another side to your blood. If you're bitten, you won't change. Your blood will poison any werewolf that comes in contact with it."_

The image changed, to the only image she remembered 100% clearly. The woman that killed her parents.

_She stood over the lifeless body of Maria Castellan, gun digging deeply into his forehead. All Scott could see was the back of the woman's head, and even that looked familiar._

"_Where. Is. She."_

"_I don't know what you're talking about."_

"_Where's the She-Wolf?"_

"_No," The toddler version of Nina whimpered, struggling in a familiar-looking boy's arms to break free. The boy, in turn, picked up a wrench and throwing it across the room to their left. When the woman spun around, Scott felt his blood run cold._

Kate Argent killed Nina's parents in search for her. Scott tugged his claws out of her neck and swiped her tears away, tugging her flat against him and holding onto her as she sobbed. The memories were ripping her to shreds. Now someone knew. Who and what she was.

"Kate Argent killed you, so they could make you a weapon against werewolves." He whispers, clutching her face between his hands, "That's why you don't talk. She scared your voice away."

She nodded, letting her arms wrap around his torso as she cried. Scott ran his fingers through her hair, his face buried into her soft hair. Her fingers gripped his shirt for a long moment before Nina broke away sniffling.

"Kate's dead. She can't hurt you anymore. I'll protect you. Come stay with us. If you're in danger, come stay with me. You'll be living with me and one of my betas." Scott said. Tears welled up for a second time and Nina was choking. People had never been warm and loving to her. She'd just been an objective to boys; the subject of bets to screw her. Never this.

"I'll talk to your aunt, I mean it." He replies. She shivers, the cold biting into her skin now. The boy smiles, taking his off and handing it to her. Nina takes it willingly and then gives Scott Sarah's number and address before they head their separate ways—her into art, and him into Biology. The blonde girl hated this class now that she'd been put into when they discovered she took a beginner's class in New York.

Isaac and Argent were both in this class. Along with Lydia, who'd been nice to her yesterday when she started.

"_So_," Isaac says, moving to sit beside her at her easel, "I like your tattoo."

Her spine straightened and her grip was so tight on the paintbrush, the knuckles were turning white. This wasn't something she was willing to deal with. No questions about the mark she'd seen on the middle of her savior's back the night he saved her. It was something important to her.

"Are you related to the Hales?" He asked, quietly in her ear. That's when she sprung up, lifted her bag onto her shoulder and _ran._ Hale. That was his last name. Peter Hale; who saved her, and then turned around and took some of her blood from the vein.

Nina couldn't tell you what possessed her to run the direction she did, but she found herself weaving through the streets until she found the graveyard, searching for her parents' names. They'd been buried beside her father's Pack. On the left flank of his Alpha. Sarah always told her that.

MATTHEW GRANT CASTELLAN

1974—1996

MARIA DE LA CRUZ CASTELLAN

1982—1996

Her eyes drifted over to the Alpha's grave, with Wolf's Bane planted at the head.

TALIA HALE

1971—2007

"How do you know them?" A deep voice cracked on one side of her as he asked. She jumped and turned to face the intruder, but relaxed. Something about his face calmed her. Thick-lashed hazel eyes, tanned skin, and a short layer of black hair on his face—not long enough to be a beard, just stubble.

She didn't respond.

He raised his eyebrows in wait, and then noticed something. Her mouth was relaxed, as if she was used to keeping it clamped shut.

"You don't speak, do you?" He asked, stepping closer to her.

_No_.

"I'm Derek. Is there any way you can find to tell me your name?" Derek had a gentle voice where she was concerned. The blonde felt her heart pounding as she looked up at him through her lashes. His pulse jumped when she lifted his hand and made it face her palm-up. Her fingers brushed his hand and it took a moment to realize she was going to spell it out.

_N-I-N-A_

_C-A-S-T-E-L-L-A-N_

"Castellan? I knew your parents when I was little. I'm sorry for your loss."

Again, she spelled out what she wanted to say. His nerves were so on edge from the feather-light touch, he could feel every single movement.

_Y-O-U-R-E_

_A_

_H-A-L-E,_

_A-R-E-N-T_

_Y-O-U?_

"Yes. Do you want to go somewhere warmer?" He smiled broadly at her, and she bit her lip at the way it made her stomach flutter, "I could use some company, if you wouldn't mind."

_S-U-R-E._

Derek grinned as she slid her fingers into the crook of his elbow.


	4. Sudden Silence, Sudden Heat

_"I think it's going to have to be something that just comes along and just smacks you in the face and you're like, 'Oh wow, this is it; this is what it's supposed to be.' I think until that happens, it's going to be very interesting to see what motivates him to even think about moving forward in that area."_

–Tyler Hoechlin, on Derek's love life.

* * *

The coffee stayed nice and warm in her hands as they walk through downtown, finding a hill that overlooked the city just inside the reserve. She plopped down with her long legs dangling down in front of her. Derek sat down beside her, studying her profile against the moon. Nina's head tilted back, the light dancing over her skin.

He hadn't spoken all night, either. All he paid attention to was her facial expressions when her thoughts would wander. She'd trace words into his skin when she wanted to say something. It was comfortable. Nina had been doing same when he wasn't looking, trying to read him. Derek Hale wasn't readable. He was silent, and stony, and reminded her of herself.

She glances over and finds him staring at her, and then reaches up to rest her hand over his heart.

"You're incredible. Did you know that?" He murmured, cupping her face in his hand and stroking her cheekbone with the pad of his thumb. _You don't know anything about me, _She thought, _how can you think I'm beautiful?_

"Because I can understand you. Even if you don't say anything. Yes, you're beautiful. There's no argument there. I can read you almost as well as you can read everyone else." He added, "All night, you've been playing with your hair when you look at my arms and my chest. Your heartbeat gets faster when you look at me."

She stared down at her feet, swinging, in embarrassment.

"No, don't look away." His voice turned soft as he tilted her head back to look at him, pressing his thumb against her pulse point. Derek drew Nina's hand back to his chest, over his heart with enough pressure for her to _feel_ it beating beneath the muscle. "Nina, this is the first time a woman's made me nervous since I was fifteen."

Sure enough, when her eyes met his, the beating under her palm sped up. Her eyes flickered down to his lips as she turned her body to face him, on her knees. She went to rest her hand on the ground, and it covered his instead. He shifted to face her and before she could muster a thought, he was moving closer to her—his mouth hovering inches from hers. His breath washed over her bottom lip as their eyes both started to drift shut. She _wanted_ this. Nina only kissed one boy; not with the one that aimed to take advantage of her. His nose skimmed hers as he moved in closer. One movement and they'd be kissing. Her body angled toward him of it's own accord. Just before he kissed her, her phone went off in her pocket and the moment ended.

Nina pulled back, shaking off the haze Derek Hale put her in to glance down at the text message from Sarah.

_**Where the hell are you?**_

She dusted her hands off as she stood. He rose as well, keeping their hands together. The blonde started to walk away.

"Nina, wait." He called. She turned to look at him and he lunged forward, slid his hands into her hair and crashed his lips against hers. Her heart raced as she held onto his wrists and kissed him back, opening her mouth when his tongue pleaded for it. Her eyes closed as his tongue stroked hers. She moaned when his arms wound around her waist and pulled her against him. They pulled apart slowly, heads pressed together as the two panted for air. Nina slid her hands up his arms and around his neck, dragging her nose across his.

"Was that okay?" He murmurs, studying her now darker navy eyes.

In response, Nina rolled onto her toes and pecked him lightly on the lips. His eyes watched the sway of her hips as she made her way down the hill, where Sarah's car now sat.

His mouth was tingling from where hers had just been. He raised his fingers to his lips and discovered they were swollen. In the car, Nina found the same thing. Hers were swollen from his kiss, and she grinned as she leaned her head back against the seat.

"You were with a boy?" Sarah asked incredulously. She'd never shown any interest, whatsoever.

Nina nodded, slowly. _Not a boy. Man. Werewolf._

"Ohmygod. From now on, you let me know when you're going out to see you friend, and I swear to God, Nina Charlotte Castellan, if you get pregnant, I'll whoop your ass and then find your boyfriend and castrate him with a rusty spoon. Understood?" Sarah grumbled. Nina laughed, a full sound that rang out through the Chevy, her head thrown back. Her aunt couldn't help but join in, pulling to the shoulder to calm herself as the two women try to stop the peals of laughter.

"I've never heard you laugh." Sarah murmured in her British brogue, wiping the tears from her face and grinning, "It's beautiful."

Nina just smiles in response, squeezing her aunt's hand as they headed down the road. The blonde soon realized that they weren't returning to the apartment they'd moved into. She sent a confused glance to the woman.

"Scott McCall and his mother came to visit me tonight. I didn't want to, but the boy pleaded a good case. He's an Alpha, with a rather large Pack, and I believe you'll be safe with them. I'll be at the apartment, still, and talking to you constantly, but I promise you'll be safe, m'dear." She tucked a blonde hair behind her niece's ear. She looked like her father. A feminine image of him.

When they reached the McCall home, Scott was waiting at the curb to help carry her things inside. He set his hands on her shoulders and smiled warmly at her. If she could've had a big brother, this would be how she pictured him, behavior-wise. He squeezed her upper-arm knowingly and then took a stack of boxes.

And then Isaac came out of the house to help.

_What is he doing here? _She asked Scott with yet another confused look.

"Isaac lives with me, too. He's...His family's gone."

_Oh._

She took some of her own things in and followed Scott to a spare bedroom that looked as if it'd been recently cleared out. A large whiteboard with dry-erase markers was tacked up now.

"We bought it so you could use it to write what you want to say when you're in here. It was Isaac's idea, since he saw you writing with Lydia in class." Scott spoke, "He likes you, you know? He's afraid he's scared you off."

_Maybe a little bit. But it wasn't his fault._

"You should 'talk' to him." The olive-skinned boy made air quotes, "Let him know."

She agreed with a small jerk of her head and the brunette appeared in the doorframe. Isaac was dressed for bed. Bare chested with flannel pants that hung low on his hips—the v shaped muscle making her mouth turn dry. Holy shit. Who knew that boy was hiding _that_ under his jeans.

"Am I allowed to come in?"

A nod.

"I'm sorry if I scared you. I'm not good around girls. Even ones who can't laugh in my face and tell me to go to hell. I just…You're different, and I like that. You're so focused on the things around you, you know every single detail. It impressed me."

_You're forgiven. Isaac, I'm flattered that you think so highly of me._

He grinned, sitting at the edge of the bed facing her. She'd moved back to sit with her back against the headboard and sat facing him, knees drawn comfortably to her chest, chin on one of her knees as she inspected him; the strong, square jawline, the smooth fair skin, thick lashes the honey-brown tone of his hair, thin but full lips, and icy blue eyes. He wasn't as handsome as Derek, but he still intrigued her. Lifting a notebook, she scrawled quickly.

_When you said "It's odd to hear your own voice, even if it's just a laugh, I know."_

_What did you mean?_

He sighed before he answered.

"My mother died from Leukemia when I was ten, and then my older brother, Camden, passed away eighteen months later. I stopped talking. I was mute, until my dad bashed my face in the first time because I wouldn't. I always continued to talk after that because I was more afraid of what would happen if I _didn't_."

She nodded slowly, reaching up and brushing her fingers against the wrinkle between his brows when he scowled. His breath caught as she moved closer, fixing his messed-up hair. Her knee bumped his and he felt the touch in every inch of his body. He had to get out of her bedroom, or he was going to end up _really_ scaring her by kissing her and taking her clothes off before she had the chance to blink. He stood and adjusted his pants in a pointless attempt to hide his…reaction…to the thought.

Nina closed her eyes as he bent down and kissed the top of her head.

"Goodnight, Beautiful."

Scott entered some time later, and echoed the action.

"If you need anything, my room is across the hall."

* * *

_The shower spray beat down against her skin, heating it up further. Her fingers kneaded out a knot at the base of her throat, trying to relieve the tension…until a large, tanned hand covered her own, pushing it away and then bending down to press his lips against her shoulderblade. Stubble scraped her skin and it made every nerve ending come alive as his kisses moved over her shoulder and his arms wound around her hips._

_ Derek grinned at her moan. Ignoring the fact that she was naked, __**in the shower, **__with __**Derek Hale, **__she let her bare body relax against his. The dark-haired werewolf turned her to face him and press his lips urgently against hers, moving his mouth roughly against hers as his hands interlocked with hers and pinned them on either side of her head. Nina jumped up and wrapped her legs around his hips, the spray breathing smoke over their bared skin. Her blonde hair was darker when it was wet. Smooth._

_ "Do you want me?" He asks, panting as his forehead rests on hers, "Do you want this?"_

_ She nodded, her chest heaving with anticipation. He bit down on her bottom lip, hungrily, as his hips slid forward. His teeth scraped against the sensitive flesh of her throat._

_ "Say my name. Please, baby, I need to hear you."_

_ "Derek," She moaned, out loud. Nina wanted him to be as unbearably turned on as she was. He leaned up, a grin on his sexy face before he reconnected their lips and kept moving. His teeth sunk into her shoulder and she screamed, both from pleasure and then the immediate horror of the consequences of a werewolf bite._

Her eyes flashed open as she stared up at the ceiling above her. Her heart raced at a hummingbird speed. Never, ever, in _any_ of her dreams, did she ever speak. She never _wanted to_ before. But now that she'd heard herself moaning Derek's name, Nina didn't know how long she'd keep it in. Especially if sex with Derek was as hot as that dream.

"Nina, you alright? You're breathing really hard, and your heart's beating really fast." Scott murmured as he slipped into the room. The blonde laid back on the mattress again, attempting to calm her breathing. Oh, God. Her body was on _fire_. Discreetly, since she was laying on her side, she had to rub her thighs together to calm the raging storm that sat low on her stomach.

"Can you answer me? I'm freaking out here." The Alpha asked. Sighing and pursing her lips, Nina lifted the notebook and wrote in glow-in-the-dark sharpie.

_I'm fine, Scott. Just a dream. Go back to bed._

The most erotic dream she'd ever had about a guy she'd spent a few hours with. One that she knew she'd be content with.

Now unable to sleep, the girl closed her eyes and flopped back onto the bed with a groan.

It was around three when she felt it. The air trembling around her with a renewed dark energy. She could feel a presence and it wasn't a good one. When a masked face drifted past her window, she covered her mouth with her palm as all the breath crawled free from her lungs.

The Oni. They were here. But, for who?

_So much for being safe here._


	5. A Little Party Never Killed Nobody

Nina didn't go back to sleep. After that half-hour lapse from consciousness, she'd been up all night thinking of Derek. Mind wandering to how she imagined her own voice. How strong he felt, with his hands hooked around her thighs, his body pressed into hers. Oh, hell.

She groaned in discomfort, padding into her bathroom and stripping to take a shower, try to clean the images from her head. The water was even hotter than it'd been in the dream, scalding her delicate skin to the point where she was quickly turning pink. Her head tilted back against the told tile. It wasn't going away. Her thoughts of Derek were only getting more and more intimate the longer she was in the water.

* * *

When she entered the bedroom again, she dressed quickly, pulling on a hot pink crop top, and denim short shorts, stood out against her soft white skin. Her belly was exposed, and put a belly ring on. A black anchor with a hot pink stone on the end. Isaac felt his heartbeat skip at the sight of her, again.

"Going to Danny's party?" He murmured, looking her up and down once, "You look pretty."

_Thanks. Are you going?_

"Definitely. Save me a dance?"

How was this even happening? She had the major attention of two gorgeous, non-human boys.

* * *

The Loft was a wide open space with a large set of windows. The blacklight made her skin a ghastly shade of blue in the room, her clothing bright and neon as she walked in.

"Nina! You're here!" Danny called, waving her forward. She waved and smiled as she made her way to the human, who took her hand and forced her to spin for him.

"Damn, girl. You look gorgeous." He kissed her on both cheeks, taking her hands and taking her to introduce her. A boy with green paint in three long scratches on his chest looked up when she approached and then her feet turned to lead. Ethan!

"Nina?" Ethan murmured before she threw herself into him and he caught her easily, spinning around and then leaning back to look at her, "Look at you! You're breathtaking!"

In her silent communication, she set her hands on his arms and inspected him the same way and then broadly grinned as if to say "_So are you._"

"Aiden! Get your ass over here!" He called to his brother, tucking her into his side. She laughed, looping an arm around the small of his back and waiting for her favorite of the twins. She'd been _sent_ to live with the Alpha Pack when Hunters moved into the town she'd been living in with Sarah, and these two became her only real friends. When Aiden saw her, his face lit up and he scooped her up to hug her. Laughing again, her legs and arms wrapped around him as he spun her in circles.

"How are you, beautiful?" He asked as she leaned back enough to look at him. She smiled even wider as an answer and hugged him again. Aiden was her first everything; kiss, sex, love. All of it. They fell out of love and quickly became fiercer friends, though Nina had to work to express that. "Your laugh is gorgeous, Ni."

Isaac growled at the sight of the blonde wrapped around Aiden and talking to him. And then she hopped down and each of the twins wrapped an arm around her. Hers were around their bare backs as she talked to Danny. How did she even know them? Isaac was moving before anyone could object, and then stopped beside the Human.

"Come with me?" He offered his hands and she winked at Ethan, some unspoken conversation passing through them. Her hands slid into his and he backed up until they found the woman with paint. She noticed Ethan slip into the back room.

She took a paintbrush and looked at the colors, smirking at him as she dipped the brush in and slowly began to mark his face with blue, green, and orange. Isaac laughed, but took hold of her shirt and pulled it over her head. At the sight of her now glowing white lace bra, he gulped, but painted slowly across her chest and down her stomach, marking it like war paint. After it dried, she took one of his hands and spun to press her back against his strong chest, winding her hips on beat and feeling him start to dance with her, gripping her hipbone with his free hand.

His lips touched the curve of her neck feather-light. She shuddered, grinding harder and sliding down his body. The music was intoxicating and she found herself _trying_ to piss Allison off. Allison, who looked at her with furious black eyes. She had some claim on him and she was about ready to stake it.

He paused when she turned to face him. And, shooting a glance at the Argent, Nina leaned up to press her lips to the boy's jaw. He groaned, arms slipping around her waist as she moved gentle kisses down his neck, stopping at the neckline of his shirt. Allison started toward them with a determined look on her face and Scott stepped in front of Nina seconds before she reached them.

"Allison, stay away from her."

"Stay away from her? She's acting like a total slut."

"Back. Off. Kate is the reason she's like this. Your Aunt killed her entire family in front of her, so piss the hell off." Scott growled, reaching back and circling her wrist with his fingers, "She's part of my Pack, and I'm going to protect her from you."

She felt a tremor around her and the hallway leading away lost all lighting. She shivered. The Oni. _No! Not him!_ Jerking free, Nina ran as hard as she could into the back room. The door was shut and she pounded her fist against it. The door opened moments later, and she found them circling her in. No. NO.

Her knees gave way as one seized her by the back of the neck. His thumb dragged behind her ear and she lost consciousness.

When she came to, the music was gone and she was leaning against Kira for support. The Oni were everywhere in the room, watching. Derek and Scott were standing side-by-side. Isaac was supporting Ethan between him and Allison and Lydia was curled up in the corner, trying to heat herself up. Nina took a deep breath, reaching back into the back pocket of her pants and pulled her switchblade out. Before the others could register it, she sprung. Beheading one for a moment before she tried for another one.

"Nina," Derek breathed, snapping one's neck in attempt to protect her. Scott threw himself into the fight as well. When the light came, and they faded away, Derek pulled her into his arms. She was shaking, cold and fearful when she looked at the shape behind his ear as well.

"Are you alright?"

The blonde shook her head. _No._

"Did they hurt you?"

_Yes. _


	6. Say Something, I'm Giving up On You

DEREK-FREAKIN-HALE-IS-MINE, floweringbirdies, clairmaurel06, AND Kima Wolfwood, since you've been such _**awesome**_ reviewers, I've decided to make this chapter special. So, here ya go! This one's for you: An _**entire chapter**_ from Nina's Point of View.

* * *

NINA POV

I woke up sweating, too warm. It took a moment to realize I'd gone to sleep on the couch. I glanced down and found an arm draped over my stomach. Isaac. Isaac stayed out here all night to make sure nothing happened to me. Derek saw to it that I made it back here safely, sending Isaac a glare when he helped me into the house. Scott helped me undress, get in the shower, get out of the shower, and dress. Like an older brother, polar opposite of me in every way.

_What was the history between those two?_ I wondered. Isaac shifted in his sleep, pulling me closer and tightening his hold on me. I felt his nose press against my shoulder as he mumbled something unintelligible.

I traced his arm with my fingertips, enjoying the feel of the soft skin underneath. There was a description of a boy in my favorite book. It said "He was beautiful, in a _delicate_ way." Mario Puzo must've known someone who looked like the brunette wolf clinging to me.

"Nina," He mumbled in a sleepy voice when he woke shortly after me. I rolled over to face him, resting my cheek on his other outstretched arm, "Hi." He added quietly. I grinned at him, stretching my arms over my head before scooting closer and hiding my face against the warm column of his throat. His fingers combed through my hair slowly, untangling it. My eyes drifted shut and it wasn't until Isaac shifted slightly that I realized our legs were tangled together as well. He let out a small pleased sound when my fingers ran along his shoulder, down his arm to where his hand rested at the small of my back.

"Are you and Derek together?"

I shrugged. I hadn't a clue what him and I were. I knew I wanted to see him more. My fingers traveled back up his arm and shoulder, tracing his neck and jaw, moving to his face and feeling the contours with my fingertips. I felt my stomach leap into my throat—God, he was beautiful.

"I'm going to assume that means you're unsure." The boy murmured.

Small nod.

My breath caught when he tilted my chin up and met my eyes straight-on.

"I'm going to kiss you now." He breathed, and then his mouth covered mine. It was a slow, burning fire with Isaac. My hands slid into his soft brown hair. I was _feeling_. It'd been so long since someone touched me like I mattered. He was clutching me to him like I was important. My fingers fisted into his hair as my knees parted and Isaac settled between them, taking our hands and interlocking them. The rough fabric of the couch scraped against the back of my hands as he pinned them on either side of my head. I groaned against his lips, tangling my tongue with his. Where Derek was more dominant, Isaac was evening out the score between us. He was letting me be his equal in the dance for dominance our tongues were making.

The heat inside of me was flowing south again. Before I could force myself to think, I let my body take control. My hips circled up against his, a gasp tearing through my mouth at the friction.

"N-Nina," He panted as he pulled away, "You're driving me crazy."

_Good. _I thought. _I like 'em crazy. _Inwardly, I laughed at the lame term.

He growled, low and sexy, as I flipped our positions, sitting up on his torso and stripping the tee shirt I'd put on. His breath caught while I glided his hands up onto my stomach. _Touch me. Please, touch me_.

Isaac nodded knowingly, brushing his palms across my torso. His lips touched my jaw. The brunette's hand explored and caressed my abdomen. I closed my eyes as the feeling swept me up. I felt a jolt throughout my body wherever his skin met mine. Then we were kissing again, his hips now arcing up into me. I bucked wildly in response. Lost in sensation.

I found words at the tip of my tongue once again.

_I want this_.

Isaac stripped his shirt and pressed back into me, his heated skin against my own causing a tremor to roll through me.

"Do you two need anyth-OH MY GOD!" Scott blurted out at the sight of us. My face heated up and I hid my face into my hands in pure embarrassment. Isaac flattened himself against me to keep me covered up. Out of sight.

"Seriously? I leave you alone for two hours, and you…really? In my house?" Scott babbled, "My mom's going to have a stroke. She didn't take you two in for you to have sex!" I couldn't contain the giggling that broke out. It was nearly silent, but I could feel myself shaking as I did. Isaac had to bite his lips to keep from joining me. His arms wrapped around my back and I rested my cheek over his chest. Scott huffed and started toward us. Sighing, I quickly sat up and pulled my shirt back on—dropping Isaac's onto his chest.

"There. We're both fully clothed. Are you happy now?" Isaac grumbled, shifting me to sit in his lap with my back to his chest while he sat up facing his Alpha. His arms slipped around me again. His chin rested on my collarbone.

"Just…don't do it on my couch. Or in my bed for that matter." He shook his head, and left us alone. Isaac smiled broadly at me, pecking me on the lips before standing us up.

"Does Derek kiss you like that?" Isaac murmured, tilting my chin up to look at him. I shake my head. _No._ Dammit! This isn't going to be easy.

Instead, I pick up a notebook from the coffeetable and hand it to him once I've finished writing.

_Doesn't matter how Derek kisses me, you're with Allison._

And I stalked upstairs into my bedroom, to dress for school. Isaac rapped on the door lightly. I ignored him, stripping my shirt and pulling the cotton shorts down my legs. He walked right in, swinging the door open without asking. He took a sharp breath as I walked around in my undergarments. I may not have liked people trying to use my body, but I wasn't ashamed of it. My phone buzzed and I immediately answered the text.

"Nina…Allison and I aren't exclusive or anything like that. I haven't even kissed her."

I shrugged in response, ignoring the irritation that surges through at her name. _I don't know what irritates me so much about her—it's just there._ He cupped my face between both his hands gently, trying to decipher what's upsetted me. Derek wouldn't have to. He'd know exactly why I was upset and do anything he could to fix it.

GORRAMIT!

The fact I'd developed feelings for two men so quickly was alarming. And then, I almost took things too far too fast with Isaac.

"I like you." He whispered, "Okay? And I'm sorry I lost control downstairs. I should've put a stop to it."

Again, I shrugged, taking his hands and lowering them from me and walking up to my whiteboard.

_I'm not going to school today. Cover for me?_

"Where are you going?"

_That's none of your business._

Isaac started to protest, and I brushed past him, walking straight out the door to where my best friend sat, an arrogant grin on his face. A helmet dangled from his fingertips and I flashed him a smirk.

"Sarah's going to kill me for this." He said in his gruff voice. I hesitated; she was a force to be reckoned with when she was angry. _Ah, fuck it._ I snatched the helmet, threw my leg over to straddle the motorcycle, snaking my arms around his abdomen. Looking back at a frustrated Isaac and Scott, Aiden kicked off and pulled away from the curb. My hair streaked back behind me and I heard my own terrified shriek and then laughter as I clung to him. His laughter vibrated his chest and he reached back to pat my thigh quickly. We drove on the mini highway until we reached the next town, a small diner similar to the one we used to go to when we lived in Salem.

"I seem to remember a beautiful little blonde that eats like an elephant, and stays as thin as a post." He teased, setting his hands on my hips to set me back on the ground.

I went onto my tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek; my best, and only, real friend on earth. I looped my arm around his abdomen as his settled over my shoulders. This was the easiest way to explain our absence. People thought we were older than high school when we acted like a couple, very relaxed and easy-going about each-other. We broke up because I knew he deserved better than a girl who can't talk, and I deserved someone less arrogant than him.

He knew what to order to make me eat more than my own body weight in food, figuratively. A burger the size of my face and French fries.

He talked about what I'd missed since he came here. About my uncle getting his sight back. Kali and Ennis, who were like family to me, were both dead. Him and Ethan lost their place as Alphas. My chest ached with the news of the deaths. I'd cared for this pack in a way no-one else was going to understand. They defended me, but never wanted what they knew my blood could do for them. They all wanted me to be safe, and free. I loved them.

I was lost in my own thoughts, noting Aiden stealing some fries…Until Derek walked into the door with a familiar auburn-haired girl.

_CORA!_

I stood up from the booth and sprinted across the tile to throw myself into her arms, tears welling up. I thought I'd never see her alive again, after I moved out of Brazil, to live with said Pack. She snaked her arms around me, hiding her face in my shoulder. I heard her sniffle.

Sarah took her in. We'd lived together a whole two months before I had to leave to be safe, and her tougher-than-nails attitude rubbed off on me. Cora Hale, who took me to get my naval pierced, along with our matching tattoos. Sarah wasn't too happy with that decision, either.

Derek's facial expression as he looked over my shoulder sucked the joy from the moment.

"You're with him?"

_It's not like that!_

"Derek, I don't think this is what you're thinking." Cora defended me.

"I need to talk to you. Alone." Derek whispered, taking my wrist and tugging me out the door and around the corner into the alleyway between buildings.

"I want to be with you." He says, before I can blink, "But, I don't want to scare you off. I know Isaac has feelings for you, and clearly you have feelings for him, from what I saw. What do you want, Nina? Because you can't have both of us."

I felt my face flush and my stomach tighten at his words.

His face twists with pain. _Oh, Derek_.

"I'm so damn tired of picking girls that hurt me. If you want Isaac, I _will_ walk away. Because I'm already in too fucking deep. I've never had feelings for someone this fast before. I've never _wanted_ something as much as I want you. So, please, put me out of my fucking misery and tell me what's happening."

When I didn't spell anything out, he turned to walk away. My stomach leapt in desperation._ I can't lose him, not already. Derek feels the same way for me as I do for him._ If I didn't do something, I was going to lose the only person who'd ever completely understood me.

"Derek!" My voice cracked as the first word I'd ever said in my life came tumbling out.


End file.
